


Fishwatching

by monaboyd_archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-06-26
Updated: 2004-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-28 10:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7636294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monaboyd_archivist/pseuds/monaboyd_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dom is looking after Elijah's pet goldfish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fishwatching

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Shirasade: this story was originally archived at the Monaboyd.net Archive, which was closed in September 2014 due to software issues and a lack of new submissions for several years . To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in October 2014. I e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact me using the e-mail address on the Monaboyd.net Archive collection profile.

Dom’s fingers curled around the orange cylinder. The cap twisted free, and he bent his head to inhale the scent. Hmm... nostalgic.

"Don’t blame me if you suck that stuff down your windpipe, and _please_ don't eat it," Elijah said, shifting impatiently. "Just feed her one pinch twice a day or twice that much once a day. If you overfeed her it's no big deal, but try not to forget, okay? You'll only need to change her water once or twice while I'm gone. Thanks, though, a lot, for looking after her. I was afraid to leave her with Orli."

Dom squinted through the curved glass of the bowl. "What's its name, again?"

"Luthien. Look, I've gotta go, I still have to finish packing. But c'mere." His arms clamped around Dom cozily, leaving the impression that hugging was Elijah's true calling. Then he was headed for the door, calling back as Dom trailed after him, "Might wanna watch out for her voyeuristic tendencies."

"What? What does that mean?"

"She lives in my bathroom because I go in there everyday, but she seems to be a bit of a pervert." He scooped up his jacket and gave Dom a last quarter-hug; arm around Dom's neck and their heads together. "I'll tell you all about it when I get back, or I'll talk to you on the phone, yeah? Bye!" And Elijah was gone, leaving Dom alone with a goldfish of uncertain intentions, and very bemused indeed.

There was only one thing to be done.

Twenty-six minutes later, Billy was staring down at the fishbowl on Dom's bathroom counter.

"Bit bug-eyed, in't she? Family resemblence is rough."

"And he said she was perverted." Dom shook his head. "He's been a terrible influence on this poor creature."

"So, what, she watches people while they're pissing?"

"Maybe. Hmm..." They considered in silence a moment, until Dom said, "Music!" and squeezed by Billy in the narrow doorway. The speakers of the sound system pulsed on with the low breathing of an empty feed, but soon a beat began that Billy, to his horror, recognised immediately.

_"I'm ~ too sexy for my love ~ too sexy for my love, love's gonna leave me..."_

He returned grinning. "Thought I'd give Luthien here a little show. You watch her and see what she does."

"N-- Dom, you aren't _seriously_ \--"

But Dom was; moving in a parody of a striptease, already unbuttoning his shirt. Singing along.

Disconcerted, Billy averted his eyes from the spectacle of his best friend disrobing, but found the same scene in the wide bathroom mirror. Looked away again, and realized that the bent light around the fishbowl carried an identical image. The goldfish had begun to dart about, for all the world appearing to enjoy the sight of too much bare skin. Billy shut his eyes, his face burning. "Dom, for God's sake, stop it!"

"No, look mate, I think she's really digging this!" _Zzip_ , went Dom's zipper, and Billy fled, head down, stumbling away into the darkening hall.

"...Billy?" Embarrassed and confused, mixed with plenty of other tones. "'S nothing you haven't seen. Not like we haven't showered together. Wasn't going to take _everything_ off," he muttered. The music played on, awkwardly loud. Dom fllicked the light on and continued. "Man, I haven't seen anybody freak so much from the thought of seeing me starkers since I was eleven and accidentally went into the wrong locker room."

His back still turned, Billy was taking some deep breaths. "That may have been more about _you_ seeing _them_ , Dommeh."

"Oh. Might've been, at that." Dom's face loomed close over Billy's shoulder, curious. "Now, what's the matter?"

"It's just ridiculous. Stripshow for a fish. _Elijah's_ fish."

"Oh, is that all. ...Why're you blushing, then? Never seen you do that before."

"I AM NOT BLUSHING!"

Dom grabbed the collar of Billy's shirt and hauled him back into the bathroom, pointing matter-of-factly at the mirror. "Are."

There was a pause. The fish circled in her bowl, splashing a little. The song ended. Billy's line of sight wandered, aiming anywhere at all except the shirtless part of Dom, while his mind scrambled for an explanation. His mouth came up with something in the meantime, entirely without permission from his thought processes.

"Your fly's down."

Billy stared at his own reflection, which was getting to be an alarming shade of red.

Dom let go of his collar.

Then spoke. "Oh." Blank sound. "Is that how it is?"

Billy's mind was too numb to read the tone. He didn't want to look, oh he _didn't_ , but somehow met Dom's eyes in the mirror. Dom's head tilted thoughtfully, his expression sharp and open.

"I wouldn't..." he began, then frowned, turning from the mirror to face his friend, and waiting for Billy to do the same. He drew a noisy breath, then started over. "I wouldn't be averse to that," he said slowly, watching Billy's eyes.

Who somehow found his voice. "No? You'd..."

Dom nodded faintly. "I would. Well, I do, actually. But I didn't think..."

"Ah, neither did I... And I really-- oh..."

Dom's lips quirked, and a giggle escaped. On the in-breath he snorted, which set Billy off and sent them both into escalating paroxysms of laughter, Billy holding his sides while Dom struggled weakly back into his shirt, kind of hysterically shy.

"My God," Billy gasped, "what a bizarre way to find out... this..."

Hanging off Billy's shoulder for balance, head ducked, Dom eased his other arm up to rest on the opposite shoulder. "This..." he echoed, a smile in his voice, and lifted his head, bumping their noses together. His bright eyes said, _last chance to escape!_

But Billy was having none of it. He darted in to close the distance himself, gaining the last sense of Dom that he had been missing - _taste_ \- as Dom hummed into the kiss, gripping Billy's shoulders, disbelieving.

Luthien watched, wriggling gleefully. Now _this_ was her favorite kind of show!


End file.
